The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Spacer in the Form of a Corinthian Column

Spacer in the Form of a Corinthian Column

324–26 CE
(probably Sirium or Nicomedia)
gold
Overall: 6.5 x 1.7 x 1.7 cm (2 9/16 x 11/16 x 11/16 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1994.98.2
Location: 104 Late Antiquity

Description

Mounted at the center of this octagonal pendant is a rare coin issued by Constantine the Great, the Roman Empire’s first Christian emperor. Constantine’s portrait appears on the coin’s front, those of two of his sons on the back. Constantine’s image is surrounded by male and female busts, some of which are mythological figures. The pendant once formed the centerpiece of a sumptuous gold necklace, likely a gift for a high-ranking court official or member of the imperial family.
  • (Mr. Jean-Luc Chalmin, London).
  • Deppert-Lippitz, Barbara. "Late Roman Splendor: Jewelry from the Age of Constantine." Cleveland Studies in the History of Art 1 (1996): 30-71. Reproduced: P. 31, fig. 1; P. 33, fig. 2a; P. 34, fig. 2b 20079681.
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 42-43, no. 4
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 258
  • Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).
    Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"
  • {{cite web|title=Spacer in the Form of a Corinthian Column|url=false|author=|year=324–26 CE|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1994.98.2